Meeting Patient Expectations: Assessing Medical Service and Quality of Care Using the SERVQUAL Model in Dermatology Patients at a Single Center in Poland

BACKGROUND: This study applied the SERVQUAL model, a widely recognized tool for assessing the quality of services, to understand the gap between patient expectations and perceptions of care quality among 413 dermatology patients at a single medical center in Poland. MATERIAL/METHODS: The study cohort included 413 patients: 195 inpatients and 218 outpatients. The SERVQUAL model’s 5 dimensions – reliability, assurance, tangibility, empathy, and responsiveness, each including multiple specific items – served as our assessment criteria. Patient responses to these items measured the perceived and expected quality of service. The service quality index (SQ), calculated as the difference between perception and expectation ratings, was the study’s primary outcome measure. A negative SQ score was interpreted as patient dissatisfaction. RESULTS: The study results showed a negative SQ score, which signified a discrepancy between high patient expectations and the actual perceived quality of service. The largest gap was seen in the tangibility dimension. Differences emerged based on treatment setting, with inpatient and outpatient settings showing varying expectations and perceptions. Patient sex and residential location also influenced the tangibility dimension. Employed patients and patients with diminished quality of life had heightened expectations in certain dimensions, while patients below 36 years of age expressed higher expectations in responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. CONCLUSIONS: The findings emphasize the critical role of care quality in shaping patients’ satisfaction and perception, particularly in dermatology. Using the SERVQUAL model, this study identified the tangibility dimension as an area needing improvement. This insight serves as a stepping stone toward enhancing patient satisfaction by addressing these unmet expectations.